What Truly Matters
by pinkturtle55
Summary: One agent's ruined Christmas plans leads to showing another what the holidays are truly about. Written for GraveyGraves in the CCOAC gift exchange.
1. Chapter 1

**Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays all! This is my Christmas gift exchange story for GraveyGraves. My prompts were: Advent calender, Christmas cake, decorating a tree, and the song 'Walking in the Air'. **

**I hope everyone has a great holiday weekend and GraveyGraves, I hope you enjoy your present :)**

**I do not own Criminal Minds**

Morgan opened the second to last door on his advent calendar and popped out a piece of chocolate.

"I don't think that Mickey Mouse was on the traditional advent calendar." Emily laughed as she stuffed files into her bag.

"All that I care about," Morgan said in between his chewing, "is that I'm not here tomorrow to open the last one. I plan to be on a plane heading towards Chicago."

"Visiting your family?" Emily asked.

Morgan nodded. "How about you Prentiss? Visiting family?"

Emily snorted and nearly dropped her bag.

"Okay… have a hot date then?" Morgan tried again.

"As a matter of fact I do." Emily strung her bag over her left shoulder as she stood up from her desk. She was heading towards the door leaving the office when Morgan caught up with her.

"Hey, Hey! You can't just leave me hanging like that," He jogged next to her.

Emily just smiled and continued to walk.

"Who's the unlucky guy?" Morgan asked and winced as he saw Emily strike out to hit him playfully.

"The night is going to be very, very hot, I already know that. And well we might just spend the whole weekend in bed." She drew out her words, while getting on the elevator.

"Come on Emily!"

"He does have a problem with falling asleep right on top of me, and then in the middle of the night he wakes me up wanting more." Emily snickered at the look on Morgan's face, it was priceless.

"So what about you?" She continued nonchalantly, "Do you have a foxy mama?"

Morgan faltered briefly, and then smoothly said, "Well, I've got all the girls chasing me, but none are just right."

"Is that right?" Emily asked as she stepped off the elevator and starting walking towards her car. Morgan was following her like a small child following his mom in a crowded mall.

"What's his name Prentiss? If you don't tell me I'll have to knock down the door of every man in this city!" He threatened as Emily walked up to her car and sat down in it, keeping the door open.

"Who said it's a man?" Emily tried to suppress the smile threatening to spread across her lips.

"But- a- you said, him…" Morgan stuttered.

"Just so you don't keep yourself up all night imagining things that only exist in your dreams, I'll tell you. For your information I have a _very_ hot date with my cat Sergio. I will be in my bed reading a good book, oh and the fire will be on."

"What?"

Emily shut the door of her car and sped home, she was looking forward to cracking open a new book and doing nothing else.

XXX

As promised Emily sat on her couch in front of a blazing fire with Sergio curled up against her side. _Deadeye Dick _by Kurt Vonnegut was open in her hands, but she was no longer reading the pages. Her eyes gazed around her apartment as she noticed just how un- Christmas like it was. She didn't even have a Christmas tree.

But then again, she had never been a big fan of these holidays. Everyone on the team went to visit their families, but for her it was just like another weekend. Those in themselves were rare, so she appreciated the time, but nothing was really special. The only thing that gave a hint of Christmas was the flurries of snow outside her window.

Other than that she had no lights, no stockings, and no presents. Just her and Sergio sitting on her couch like every other holiday there was.

"How do you feel about being my hot date for tonight, Serge?" Emily asked petting his head. He purred in response and she took that as a yes. "I bet everyone else is jealous of me. I have the most handsome man around."

Emily pulled out her cell phone and debated calling her mom to wish her a Merry Christmas, but eventually just set it down on the table. A call would mean an interrogation. It would mean her admitting she was doing nothing. That she had no boy friend, no friends, hell, no one who wanted to spend the holidays with her.

But despite all of that, she didn't want to spend it with her parents. The last one of those ended in politics. The room was filled with tense politeness, but it was that or they would start a full out brawl. Emily just didn't want to be involved in either. Why should they discuss the current stock market while eating Christmas dinner, or fight about the President while opening presents?

She had mailed her parent's presents, and was expecting her own to come any day.

A yawn escaped from Emily's lips and she reluctantly stood up, scaring Sergio. He glared at her as she turned off the fire.

"Sorry about that Sergio. Some on, let's go to bed." She patted her leg and he followed her up to her bed. She got under her covers and he curled up next to her head.

"What would I do without you?" She asked as she closed her eyes and dreamed of a family Christmas. The kind she had never had. Not in stiff coordinated Christmas outfits, but one with kids running around and playing with presents, and adults are showing them how to work things, and talking. But they would talk about their children's latest ideas, or creations. Not just trying to show- case them.

Emily smiled as she dreamt of the perfect Christmas. One that she would never have.

XXX

"Dammit," Morgan grumbled as he glared at his computer screen. He slammed his mouse down and then punched numbers into his phone.

"Hey Derek!" His sister answered the phone with excitement in her voice.

"Hi, is mom there?" He asked and the phone got handed off. "Hi ma, it's Derek. Do you have a blizzard down in Chicago or something?"

"We've gotten more snow than usual, yes. Wait, why? Derek is something wrong?" She asked with concern in her voice.

"Every single flight to Chicago has been canceled! They say that flying conditions 'aren't suitable.'" He put audible air quotes around the last two words.

"Now, now honey, no need to get mad." She soothed her angry son.

"But Ma, we spend every Christmas together!" He argued back.

"I guess this year we will just have to have a late Christmas. You can fly up next time you get a few days off." She suggested.

"Except I don't know when that will ever be." He informed her.

"We'll make it work sweetie. We all love you and wish you could be here, but make the most of your holiday at home. Do you have anyone you can spend it with? Christmas is a time to be around others and spread cheer!" It was just like his mom to turn a situation around to focus on the good.

"No, Ma. Everyone is with… Wait." He paused as a smile spread across his face. "I know just who I can spend Christmas with. Thanks ma, I love you."

"I love you too Derek, call soon."

"I will," He promised as he hung up the phone.

Derek set it down and moved to the kitchen. He pulled out ingredients and then made a mess. Tomorrow was going to be one hell of a surprise.


	2. Chapter 2

**Ahhh, Christmas is almost here! And well, here is chapter two (which is also the last one). I thank you all for reading and for the fabulous reviews you have left, and GraveyGraves I hope you enjoy this chapter :)**

**I do not own Criminal Minds**

Emily groaned as she heard knocking on her front door. When she rolled out of bed her eyes spotted the clock. It read 10:00. It was still far too early to have someone knocking on a holiday. Groggily she walked to answer it, expecting a FedEx man on the other side carrying a package.

But instead when she opened the door a puzzled expression crossed her face as she saw Morgan standing in front of her. "What?" Was all she could manage.

Morgan stepped in without being invited. He set down the large box he had been carrying onto her table. "You're looking nice Prentiss."He laughed as he looked her over. She was wearing blue plaid pajama pants and a gray FBI T- shirt.

"What are you doing here?" She asked as she ran her fingers through her hair in an attempt to look at least more presentable.

"My flight to Chicago got canceled." He explained.

"So you felt the need to come to my apartment at ten in the morning and tell me? I told you I would be sleeping!" She said exasperated.

"You also told me you were alone. Christmas isn't a time to be alone."

"I'm not alone," Emily defended herself and pointed out Sergio as he strolled out of her bedroom. She stood there with her arms crossed and saw that he wasn't planning on leaving anytime soon. Finally her eyes drifted over to the side. "What's in the box?" She asked suspiciously.

Morgan smiled widely and opened it up. He pulled out a cake.

"What. Is. That?" Emily looked at it. It looked like a cake…that had exploded… and then crashed into a rainbow.

"It is a traditional Christmas cake," He said.

Emily inspected it further and saw bits of fruit and nuts in it. "Is that… a fruit cake?"

"Christmas cake is a tradition for Christmas and I wasn't going to ruin it!"

"Is it edible?" Emily took another look at it.

"Of course it is!"

Emily could see Morgan was starting to get defensive of his cake, so she just let it be. All she knew was that she wasn't going to eat it.

Morgan turned around and gazed around her apartment."Where's your Christmas tree?" He asked.

"I don't have one."

"What do you mean you don't have one? You're not anti-Christmas are you?" He gasped.

"I just don't see the point in getting one and setting it up, only to take it down a few weeks later."

Morgan frowned at her. "Go get dressed."

"Excuse me? First you barge into my house and then you command me to get dressed? That's not how it works Morgan."

"Come one, just do it."

XXX

"No Morgan! I refuse to have one of those it my apartment! They are big, they shed, they smell and I'm pretty sure there has to be some sort of rule against it." Emily stated firmly.

"You'd think I was trying to make you buy a dog! It's a Christmas tree Em, it's not a lifelong commitment." Morgan tried to persuade her.

"No. The final answer is no. We are not going to go cut down a tree to drag to my apartment."

"Fine," Morgan whined. He turned around on the street and after a few minutes turned into a Target.

"What are we doing here?" She asked.

"So you trust me when it comes to serial killers, but you don't trust me enough to take you shopping?" Morgan asked offended.

"I don't trust any guy that had to drag me." She said.

"Come on!"

Finally Emily got out of the car and walked with him inside, just to prevent him from making a scene. He dragged her to the Christmas selection and stood her in front of a selection of trees.

"Here, they don't smell, they don't shed, and it folds right back up." Morgan pointed all of the fake trees out.

Emily scanned over them and despite her apparent determinedness, let her eyes rest on a medium sized one in the middle of the store. It had beautiful white lights on it that made it shine.

Morgan followed her eye sight and smiled. "That one it is."

He picked up the tree and then they moved to the ornament selection. They picked up various ones and then went to check out.

XXX

"I can't reach!" Emily grunted as she tried to reach to the top of the Christmas tree that was now in her living room. Suddenly she felt herself lose balance and she started to fall forward, but hands caught her around her waist and pulled her back just before she went crashing into the tree.

"Be careful there Princess." Morgan laughed as she steadied herself. He took the star from her hand and set it on top of the Christmas tree easily.

"There." He smiled as he admired their work. The tree looked right at home in the corner of the room. Morgan had really gone all out buying ornaments. There were traditional ones, and funny ones, and just plain odd ones.

Emily glanced over to Morgan and couldn't help but let a smile slip out. This was the first time she had had a Christmas tree since college.

"I knew you'd like it," Morgan said hinting at the smile on her face.

Without responding Emily turned around and walked into the kitchen. "What's a satisfactory Christmas meal for you Morgan? I was planning on some frozen chicken, but now that we're making this 'traditional'…"

"Chickens good, and maybe I can whip up some cranberry sauce, I've seen my ma do it hundreds of times. That and the Christmas cake and we're all set." Morgan joined her in the kitchen and started raiding her cabinets.

Emily just looked on as he poured this and that into a bowl and stirred it up. By the time he was done Emily was leaning against the kitchen counter staring at the ceiling.

Morgan took a whiff of the bowl he was holding and frowned."I swear this is how my ma makes it…"

With concern growing in her stomach Emily walked over and had to prevent herself from gagging after just a second in the vicinity of the bowl he was holding. This was starting to explain the appearance of the cake he had made. "Let's just say I don't think I'm ever coming over for dinner."

Morgan made a face at her, but reluctantly dumped it into the trashcan.

"I hear there are some good Christmas specials at the restaurants around town." Emily suggested.

"No! Christmas you eat at home. I can do this… I think."Morgan stared down at the recipe trying to figure out what he did wrong.

"Here, let me help." Emily took the recipe from him and read it over immediately spotting where everything had gone downhill.

They got out a new bowl and together measured ingredients and mixed. They both smiled at the end result. It was much better than Morgan's first attempt.

XXX

Cranberry sauce, chicken strips, apples, and a Christmas cake filled Emily's small dining room table.

Emily laughed as she watched Morgan wolf down the food, it was as if he hadn't eaten in days. Eating slowly, she couldn't think of anytime she had had a Christmas dinner like this. I nice calm relaxed one.

Finally, the inevitable came. Morgan cut the cake. He cut two, rather large, slices and placed them on empty plates, and slid one in front of Emily. She looked at the look of pride that was on his face, the accomplishment of keeping his tradition alive. Without hesitating Morgan took a bite and the smile remained on his face.

Okay, maybe it's not that bad, Emily half prayed as she cut a piece off of her own slice. She couldn't help but notice it was undercooked.

Morgan looked at her expectantly as she put the piece in her mouth and chewed slowly. Almost immediately she had to force her gag reflexes down, and it was almost physically hard to keep the food in her mouth and her expression neutral. After one last glance at Morgan she knew what she had to do.

"It's… good." She smiled and took another bite forcing it down.

Morgan smiled widely and continued to eat his cake as he watched her do the same.

XXX

Sitting on the couch Emily was wrapped tightly in her fuzzy red blanket as she commanded Morgan on how to work her barely usable VCR player.

"I can't remember the last time I've used this thing," Emily said.

"Like I told you before, it's a classic."

"Does this 'classic' word mean 'we don't want to but are forced to or we will lose the respect of our ancestors'?" Emily mocked.

He turned around and gave her a hard look. "I don't care what you say; I've seen this movie since I was five and it's my favorite one."

"Mine was How the Grinch Stole Christmas."

"Was it nice to have a character to relate to?" Morgan laughed as Emily threw a pillow at him.

When Morgan finally got the movie to work he moved onto the couch next to Emily and they watched as 'The Snowman' started.

"When are they going to start talking?" Emily asked five minutes into it.

"It's a silent movie."

Emily looked over at him, "Oh..."

"Just watch it and listen to the music. When I was younger I thought it was weird too, but know I have grown to appreciate it."

Emily turned back to the movie and did what he said. The song 'Walking in the Air' started and Emily leaned on Morgan's shoulder. She let her eyelids slowly droop as the music surrounded her. She didn't quite understand what was so great about the movie, but what mattered was that it was significant for Morgan.

What mattered was that for once in the longest time she could remember she spent Christmas with family she actually enjoyed spending time with. Even if it meant choking down barely edible cake, and making homemade dinner, it didn't matter.

What mattered was that warm feeling in her chest, the one you see in the Hallmark movies, one she had never once felt.

What mattered was that she had a smile on her face as she drifted off to sleep. But she wasn't smiling from dreams of Christmas, she was smiling from _her_ Christmas.

**I hope you all have a great time over the holidays!**


End file.
